Interviews

BACKSTAGE – A Chat With Author Brianna Merritt

BC: Congratulations on the release of Unsanctioned Eyes. Tell us a little about the book, Brianna.
BM:Thank you, Brad! It’s been a very exciting journey to say the least. I can’t wait to see where Unsanctioned Eyes is going to take me. That being said, Unsanctioned Eyes is an action/suspense thriller novel about an assassin and her redemption story. The official blurb reads:

“Her death was just the beginning.

Quinn Rogers doesn’t exist. There are no records of her name. Her DNA has no match. She is a ghost. A phantom killer no one can trace. The perfect assassin. Or so she thinks.

At the top of her game, Quinn’s no longer looking over her shoulder. Her master will protect her, save her, like he always has. But there are forces at work neither of them suspect.

Can Quinn find the truth in a world of lies? Or will her unsanctioned past catch up to her in the end?”

BC: How is book two coming along? How many books do you have planned for The Dragonfly series?
BM: Book two is coming along slower than I would like. While I have a rough draft written down, I’m trying to figure out how to juggle writing and editing all the while marketing my first book. A quick fun fact about the series though… Books one and two were originally combined in one volume. Because I split the two up The Dragonfly series now has plans for at least four books.

BC: Very cool. I can understand how difficult it is to balance all of the duties. How much research did you do in order to write Unsanctioned Eyes?
BM:Not a lot honestly. Research is probably my least favorite part of writing a book. 😉 Thankfully, I had wonderful help making the fight scenes and weaponry terms and descriptions correct. But ultimately, putting Unsanctioned Eyes in the real world during present events made it easier for me to use my own, current knowledge to build the plot and characters. Any research I did revolved around the locations Unsanctioned Eyes takes place in such as London, Tehran, and Paris. All I can say is thank God for Google Maps!

JP: Hi, Brianna! Thank you for joining us today! How long have you been writing? What inspired your quest to become a writer?BM: I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, actually. It started out as something I would ask new people I met: “Would you like to write a book with me?” Of course, young kids will say yes to just about anything so I started a lot of co-authored books, but never finished any. I didn’t finish a novel until 2012 when I did the One Year Adventure Novel curriculum. From there it sort of spiraled into a passion and love I couldn’t contain. Since then I’ve written around twenty different projects (most of them will never see the light of day, or at least, not until they see the scathing tool of editing) in all different genres.

Being a huge fan of writing naturally inspired me to create my own literary worlds, I believe. Call me a bookdragon, but I’ve always loved living in books, and the idea of creating my own imaginary worlds to play in was just too much to pass up.

JP: Tell us a little bit about Quinn Rogers and your upcoming series!BM: Quinn Rogers, or the Dragonfly as her targets know her, is a former sniper turned assassin living in modern-day London. because of her bloodstained past, Quinn is emotionally shut off to the world and everyone in it. The only person to ever manage an emotional response from her is Rourke, the master assassin who recruited her. And that response only leads to more killing.

During a seemingly normal assignment, Quinn is suddenly faced with the impossible reality that a civilian witness and a team of FBI agents have caught her in the act. Forced to flee, she kidnaps the witness, a Christian teenager named Nathan. But in doing so she unknowingly sets off a chain of events that will either change her for the better or get everything she comes to care about killed.

The series is a current work in progress as I plan on publishing Book One sometimes before the summer. But for the sequel and any other books afterwards, I have plans to showcase more of Quinn’s struggle with redemption and introduce characters that will challenge everything she holds to be true.

JP: What is the greatest praise you’ve received about the series so far?
BM:This is a great question. I get a little teary just thinking about it, actually. 🙂

Sometime last year, I sent the rough draft for Book Three in Quinn’s series to a friend of mine who doesn’t like to read. Being a rough draft, the story was full of all kinds of errors and unfinished side plots. But my friend read the entire manuscript (WAY over 100,000 words) in under 24 hours.

Remember, she doesn’t like to read.

Biggest compliment and encouragement I have ever received for my writing by far. The note she sent along with the text message letting me know she’d finished it still makes me cry when I read it. Warning: Book Three of Quinn’s story is going to be an emotional rollercoaster!